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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Apparel Retail

lululemon athletica vs Ross Stores: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Ross Stores holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and stability. lululemon athletica still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. On the market side, Ross Stores is in better shape — its trend is intact while lululemon athletica's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Ross Stores's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

This is not just a one-metric split: both growth and stability materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 10 points in favour of Ross Stores, Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Apparel Retail

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. LULU and ROST share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how lululemon athletica and Ross Stores each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
LULU
lululemon athletica inc.
55
Peer-Score
Signal qualityMedium
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
ROST
Ross Stores, Inc.
65
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: LULU vs ROST Profitability 82 73 Stability 15 59 Valuation 88 54 Growth 7 76 LULU ROST
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +69
#2 Stability +44
#3 Valuation +34
#4 Profitability +9
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for LULU and ROST Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer LULUROST Relative valuation Structural strength

Ross Stores, Inc. occupies the cheaper side of the setup map, although lululemon athletica inc. still holds the stronger structural profile.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where LULU and ROST each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY LULU Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 97 pct gap ROST Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 1st 98th
Today LULU sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (1st percentile), while ROST sits higher in its own history (98th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, LULU is at a historically more favourable entry position than ROST. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
On growth, Ross Stores, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; lululemon athletica inc. sits in the weaker half.
Stability
Ross Stores, Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on stability, while lululemon athletica inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Growth — Dominant Gap
LULU
7
ROST
76
Gap+69in favour of ROST

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for lululemon athletica, with a forward P/E that is 17 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and stability — though valuation still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the LULU vs ROST comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how LULU and ROST each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.